I can dance, I can play, I can be good!

The Chartreux is celebrated for its temperament as well as its good looks. The Chartreux is the cat that 'goes with everything!'  'The breed for all seasons!' We hope in viewing these photos the sweet, intelligent, non aggressive temperament shines through the faces of the cats.  Also know as monastery cats and hospital cats, the cats of the roof tops of Paris  - this rare breed is celebrated and cherished by all who know them.

2011: Odds & ends on kitten care....continued from other pages

Raising kittens is like raising children. We are their parents. They reflect who we are.  (I hide my bad moods the anger or sadness).  I will sing or hum to change my emotional state if something troubles me. They will learn to read your moods through facial expressions, smell, body language, tone of voice.  I sing to them on the way to the vet's office. I never let them know I am NOT in control. I will let them go/release them before escape becomes a real issue. They want intimacy, but they are not a breed that clings. They spend their whole lives observing us and they will know our weaknesses and faults. If you can conceal your worst faults from them as kittens, then as adults they will love you anyway...because you are the only person they know. As with children, when they are older, they are more mature and can handle more turmoil and upset in their lives.  When I started breeding eight years ago I would always send the kittens out with the admonition: "Love is between you and the cat." Years later the thought comes back to me and  needs to be written down. Love is a decision and a gift for people and animals. Many use bribery with the cats to smooth things over and it works and covers the rough spots in the cat/human relationship. Playing with them with wands/whips will also do this, too. (play is a reward to them) They are animals and love their bodies. Play is so relaxing...and it will relax the owner, too.  Many, many years ago before the cattery, my husband and I wanted cats  in our home to make us laugh. They still do.

Recommended Reading:

The Chartreux by Jean Simonnet

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery